Piece By Piece
by Leveragelover
Summary: The secrets are the best part of the story. Now up- Nate: "A Shrine Of Fedoras." Sophie: "Layers Of A Diamond."
1. Worn Not Proudly

**A/N: Hello there my dearest readers! Welcome to my 100****th**** story :D It's been exactly 1 year and 2 months since I started writing fanfiction, and I have some how managed to write 100 of these with all your guys's encouragement (although I've only started to like most of what I write since May) This story will be 100 chapters and will be 100 secrets that Nate and Sophie learn about each there (50 for Nate and 50 for Sophie)**

**Story Note: Pre-series. Nates secret: Tattoo. **

_Worn Not Proudly_

Somehow he had gotten roped into another one of Sophie's grifts despite his adamant protests. She smiled the right way, a gentle brush of her fingers against the bare skin of his arm, and murmured how he'd be a hero to his boss - and he was practically kneeling at her feet. He was chasing after her for a painting she stole all the way in Uzbekistan and had ended up in North Korea. After much interrogation about the painting she fessed up that she had sold it before she had even left Tashkent. To make up for the loss - and she couldn't bare to see his disappointed face - she confided in him about another valuable painting that had been stolen in North Korea that they could recover together. The only catch was that he was going to have to help her grift.

They stood in front of the mark all dressed up and proper for the con. Nate was mildly uncomfortable, but convinced himself that it felt more wrong then it actually did. He watched as Sophie smiled the perfect way and said the perfect words. He was so entranced in the way she grifted, he loved how she looked in the act, that he didn't notice the man who walked into the room with two Manila folders in hand. The man tapped the mark on the shoulder and pointed at the folders and had a quick conversation. Nate, who was not fluent in the language at all, looked at Sophie for some type of sign about what they were saying.

The mark frowned and nodded at the man, taking the folders in his hands and flipping through him. Nate and Sophie tried to keep their eyes to theirselves but couldn't help looking over the shorter mans shoulders. Nates first instinct was to run when he saw the folders but Sophie grabbed his wrist painfully tight. The glare she gave him sent shockwaves of fright through him and he nearly whimpered as he slouched back into his previous stance. Her grip loosened slightly but she did not let go, needing reassurance that he was there until they were dragged away. She knew the con had gone sour...that someone had figured out they weren't who they said they were. If they ran they would be gunned down and the punishment would be far worse. If they willingly went odds were things wouldn't be as bad. Hopefully the odds were in their favor.

The mark shouted the word boss and a man dressed in an expensive suit came walking over. His eyes were gray like prison walls. Sophie looked over to see Nate was panicking and it took all her willpower not to smack him upside the head. He was going to ruin everything! She bit her lip and let her hand slip down to hold Nates tightly.

"I find this funny. Thief and Insurance cop standing in front of me trying to steal my stuff. I thought about sending you both to a Kwanliso camp but then I decided that I'd rather have some fun with you first." The man in the expensive suit said with a sick, twisted smile.

Sophie stiffened, heart rate starting to speed up. This was not going to end well. She heard him bark take them to the torture chamber to the people behind them. Her hand was ripped from Nates as they pinned their hands behind their backs and pushed them down the hall. They weren't particularly kind about it, roughly handling them like they were nothing more then scum on the bottoms of their shoe. Sophie nearly twisted her ankle twice as she stumbled uneasily in her heels. She could feel Nates worried eyes on hers and she turned her head to meet them.

'I'm so sorry,' She mouthed.

'Where are they taking us?' He mouthed back.

The man gripping Sophie painfully twisted her wrist causing tears to spring to her eyes as she bit her tongue to keep from yelping. "Stop it!" He snapped furiously. She just nodded in recognition.

They came up to one of the rooms and the man in the expensive suit opened the door and Nate and Sophie were both shoved in. The heavy door was shut behind them, leaving the three in a small white room with a table and two chairs. Strange hook type things were mounted on the walls, the table covered in weapons, and four sets of handcuffs. Nate swallowed hard.

"Who are you?" Sophie asked as calmly as her body would let her.

"Names are of no importance. Sit." Sophie sat down quickly. Nate scrambled to sit down but the man stopped him. "No. Remove your suit jacket, tie, and shirt. Stand here when you're done." The man pointed to a space in between two pegs of sorts at waist level on the wall.

Nate was so frightened that he started to remove the upper half of his clothes. He knew what Kwanliso camps were, and he could barely process the thought of having to go to one. Those places were pretty much like the concentration camps in World War 2. Most died of starvation. Some died from execution or beatings. And the worst part was that out of the whole time it had been around (and it's been around for a while) no ones ever escaped. As he unbuttoned the last button on his dress shirt he heard the snap of handcuffs. He quickly threw his shirt on the ground and stood where the man had told him to.

Sophie tugged at the handcuffs in frustration. The bloody bastard had handcuffed both her hands to the arms of the chair. She flipped her hair out of her face and sighed angrily. Her eyes went to Nate. Had they not been in such a horribly dire situation she would've been drooling all over his muscular and toned body. Then her eyes caught the strange tattoo just above his left hip. Her mind only lingered on the thought for a moment before she heard another click of handcuffs. Nate was handcuffed to the wall.

"So why is an insurance cop and a thief trying to steal my painting?" The man asked blatantly as he studied the table full of torture weapons, his back turned to Nate. "I get why a thief would want it but why you?" He picked up the whip and spun around to face Nate.

"I-I-I thought-she-but-" Nate stuttered helplessly, looking at Sophie for some help but getting none. CRACK. He yelped, back arching as the whip hit him straight over his chest. Tears stung his eyes as the pain spread through his skin and burned him to his very bones. The sharp gasp from Sophie was lost in his groans of pain as he slumped back against the wall. CRACK. Another sharp slap of the whip across his chest caused him to hiss loudly. Sophie felt tears slipping from her eyes as she saw the thin red lines across his chest. Another sharp, short crack sent him to seeing stars.

"What do you want from us!?" Sophie screeched, tears blurring her eyes and slipping out the corner of her eyes. "We'll give you whatever you want just please stop!"

The man turned to her with a glare. He set the whip back down on the table and grabbed something that looked like a tiny paddle made out of plastic. A resounding smack echoed through the room as the man hit her hard across her face. She gasped sharply. He continued to hit her, the blows coming down faster and more painfully. Soon she was in tears and sobbing quietly. Nate had tears of his own falling as he watched her get beat till her cheek was a bright (unhealthy) shade of red.

"Please just stop! We'll do whatever you want!" Nate yelled. The man hit Sophie harder then he had any of the previous times and she screamed, the sound mixed with her broken sob. Nate yanked harder at the cuffs. The man watched as the grifter slunk back into her seat more and tried to hide her face from him. He narrowed his eyes briefly before turning back to the insurance cop.

"There is one thing I will have you do."

OoO

Nate lie on the bed in the small motel in Daxica with Sophie cross legged beside him. They had been released after more torture had taken place and had quickly escaped to China. Neither were too thrilled about having to stay there but she was aching all over from being beaten and he had cuts and lashes all over his torso. He hissed as she slowly washed the blood off of his skin, applying slight pressure to the cuts.

"I never thought you'd be one to get a tattoo. Especially one of a crosshair."

"It's a unit circle," He said bluntly, "like the Zodiac Killer." She looked at him inquiringly. "Never mind. And it wasn't exactly a choice. I wear it like a Jew would wear the Star of David during World War 2."

The corner of her lips tipped into a frown as she cocked her head curiously to the side. "So it's a tattoo to show that you were...?"

"I was in a gang, Soph." He says this bluntly, trying to brush it off as if he were saying he was on the football team, and he reaches up to rest his hand on the highest part of her lower back in hopes of keeping her from asking too many questions. She only sits up so his hand drops down for a fraction of a second before he pulls away. She internally pouts.

"You, Nathan Ford, were in a gang? by choice?" She asks, just a smidgen astonished.

"It was and it wasn't by choice. My dad was the big bad in town and I was his son. I had expectations on the wrong side of the law that I had to live up to. I mean I could've ignored the expectations but..." He trailed off slightly and shrugged. "I'm not proud of my past, but tell me someone who is."

And suddenly her lips were an inch away from his, palm pressed against the pillow his head rest on, and her hair brushing against the side of his face. Her scent was emanating off of her as her body just barely brushed against his, sending Nate into a small place of ecstasy. She leaned in a little more, eyes starting to flutter close before she jerked back as if someone had just shocked her. Even in the dim light he could see her entire face go bright red.

She started to stutter incoherently.

And for a split second that went by too fast for him to notice, he wished that he wasn't married to Maggie and that he could kiss her senseless. He took a deep breath and let it out slowly. "It's alright Sophie. Nothing happened."

"I know," She whispered with a hint of disappointment. "I just got caught up in the moment." Gently, she brushed her fingers over his tattoo above his left hip. She thought she heard a small gasp, making her smile. "It...it's good that you turned out how you did. I know people that were not able to do that."

"Like you?"

She smiled. The ghosts in her eyes flittered through before they were sucked back behind the wall again. "Let's go to bed. We're going to need some rest if we're going to steal a painting tomorrow."

I completely forgot how I came up with this so I'll skip that. And I was trying to think of a what the symbol would be for the gang during math and my math teacher ironically brought up the zodiac killer and the unit circle and it fit perfectly! so yeah.

And here's the deal with this story, because I cannot possibly think of 100 secrets for the both of them so this story will mostly be written on your requests. You can get super specific (but it might take longer) or super vague, but make sure you say who it's for. That is all!


	2. Milkshakes On Driveways End

_Story Note: Sometime in season 5. Sophies secret: Vanilla Milkshake. _

_Milkshakes On Driveways End_

Nate had texted Sophie the hint for their date that night and was already pulling up to the small diner. They had a game they played sometimes where they would text the other with a hint about where the date was and they'd have to figure out where to go based on the clue. All he had texted to her was the words vanilla milkshake and he was positive she would know exactly where he was talking about. It was a Friday night and the lot was nearly full, a couple spots way back near the end were open, and Nate pulled into one and parked.

He walked into the bustling diner and his ears were greeted with the sound of chatter and laughter. Two people were just getting up from their seats at the bar counter and he took one that had just been abandoned. He had been here with Sophie so many times that they actually had their own waiter, and he managed to spot her out of the people and call her over. Olive beamed at him and came over quickly.

"Nate! Hi! Where's Sophie?" She grinned at him, holding the round platter against her hip.

"She should be here in a few minutes. Could you get both our usuals for us?"

"Sure thang." She started to go off, but stopped and turned around. "What is up with that girl and her vanilla milkshakes?"

"I don't know," He shrugged. "She just loves them I guess."

"Well maybe you should find out. Probably an interesting story behind it."

Olive left then, leaving Nate to ponder that small thought. He tapped his fingers on the counter and waited patiently. Tonight he had decided to where his tight fitting black t-shirt with the slight v-neck because he knew how much Sophie loved it.

The door clanked loudly as Sophie burst in, hair in her face from the wind. She paused and brushed her hair from her face before going over to see Nate. Tonight she had decided to wear a pair of light washed jeans with a few rips in them and a dark red blouse. He looked at her with a small smile on his face and gave her a quick kiss on the cheek.

"Hey! Did you take a cab here?"

"Of course darling," She confirmed sweetly. She took a seat down next to him. "Where is it?"

"It'll be here soon," He replied, knowing exactly what she was speaking about. She grinned excitedly, biting her lip. Nate watched her with love-struck eyes, chin resting in his palm. He didn't want to sit in silence, as that had been a common thing to happen while they waited for food, so he started thinking of paintings. "Poppy."

"What?"

"Poppy. Who's the artist?"

A grin lit up her face at this. "Oh, I love this game!" Sometimes they would play a game where they would say the name of a painting or a fact about one and they would have to guess the artist. She always liked to gloat that she had stolen at least a fourth of the ones he said. "Okay, um...Poppy? Geez, uh...another hint?"

"She lived to be 99."

"That does not help me."

Nate didn't say anything, but watched as her face contorted and she slowly put the pieces together. "Her name starts with a G."

"Georgia O'Keffe!" She replied instantly.

Nate chuckled. "Stole it?"

Before she could answer Olive set their drinks in front of them. Sophie immediately went to her milkshake, drinking it quickly like it was some kind of drug. Nate reached over and held her hand, giving it a gentle squeeze. "Slow down Soph."

She swallowed the drink and then turned to look at him. "No, I didn't steal it. I don't steal every piece of art I see."

Nate shrugged dismissively and sipped his rootbeer. They had been to tons of different restaurants, fancy and not, and this diner still had the best rootbeer around. In fact they just had the best diner type food around. Olive came by again to take their order, breaking his train of thought.

"Oh, um, just some of your guys's fries."

"Plans later." She said, knowing full well the answer.

"Yeah."

She smirked and left to go give the chef the order. Nate tapped his fingers on the counter again. "So...why do you always get a vanilla milkshake, and why only here?"

"Because they're the best milkshakes around."

"That's it?"

"Do I have to have an ulterior motive for the food I like?!" She defended.

"No need to get defensive. I just thought there might be an interesting story about it."

She took a long sip and contemplated it. Her hands slipped down the slick glass, fingers digging into the curves slightly. She closed her eyes briefly and was taken back to her childhood for just a moment. "My mum used to make milkshakes for us when we were kids and they were the best thing on Earth." She sighed heavily. "These milkshakes are the only ones I've ever found that taste like hers."

Nate smiled. "That's sweet. Why wouldn't you tell me that?"

Sophie, at the moment, did not feel like admitting her reason and stayed silent. She sipped on the milkshake and thought about home back in London. Her fingers grazed over the palm of her hand as she thought about the last visit there. It was just a few months ago, in the lukewarm heat of a August afternoon. August 13th that is. She remembered visiting Mike (her birth father) in jail and coming home exceptionally angry. After releasing all her anger downstairs her hands were bloody and tears were falling down her face. Her mother had played her favorite record and made her one of her infamous milkshakes and everything was all better.

"I only get to see my Mum and Dad once or twice a year...so that's why I like coming here. I remember how Mum made me feel at home...it was a sunny afternoon on August 13th. I was sitting at the end of the driveway sobbing." Sophie's eyes became dark. "I was only 7, and I was scared. I didn't know who they were-" She looked over at Nate "-and I was supposed to live with them until I was 18."

Nates brow was furrowed, questions running through his head.

"Mum, Ava, came out and set the vanilla milkshake next to me and said 'I know that you don't know us and that you probably don't trust us...but you will be safe with us.' Somehow, even though I didn't trust her, it made me feel so much better." She feel silent, averting her eyes and going to take another sip of her milkshake.'

"Thank you."

She looked back and tilted her head to the side. "Huh?"

"Thank you for telling me that. Thank you for telling me that secret."

Sophie looked away from him, a smile curling at the corner of her lips, brown hair falling in small strands over her profile. She couldn't help but smile widely. Then she looked back over at Nate, a slight deviousness creeping into the smile. "My dad always said the secrets are the best part of the story."

**(I love that ending.) And since I didn't go into specifics about Mike (her birth father) I'll explain it here. (in my world) Sophie lived with her mom and abusive father until she was 7 when her mother vanished and her father was taken to jail for (35) 36 years (I'm still debating.) Then she went to live with the Collins, and on the first day she sat at the end of the driveway sobbing because she felt so lost and confused, and that she couldn't trust anyone anymore. **

**Don't forget the requests! **


	3. Bottles Buried Far Back

**Sorry this took forever to update guys! I was actually working on it (I hadn't forgotten.) Just had a hard time with these prompts :P Anyway hope y'all enjoy it (and sorry for the mistake in the last chapter…fixed it) Special thanks to **_**leverageus**_** for the prompts :)**

**Story Note: Takes place shortly after The Last Dam Job. Nates Secret: Aftershave **

_Bottles Buried Far Back_

Nathan, being an only child, was the one that had to take care of any loose ends after his fathers death. And by loose ends he didn't mean the stupid feud with the Donnelley family. It meant he had to take care of selling his fathers house and taking care of everything in it. The team was more then happy to help Nate with this task.

Nate, on the other hand, was not so excited.

He couldn't stop getting flashbacks of the explosion and flashes of the feeling he got when he pieced it together and when he heard the words 'how much Jimmy Ford loved his son.' Sometimes it was just too much at points and he'd have to excuse himself from the room to go keep himself from crying. As...pathetic as it was for a grown man to cry he couldn't keep the flashbacks at bay and it just tore him up from the inside out.

He was brought back to reality when he felt Sophies hand on his thigh.

"Nate, are you alright?"

He blinked and felt the tears spill over. Quickly he wiped the tears away, embarrassed that he had been crying. "Uh, yeah, yeah, I'm fine," He mumbled. Once again he rested his head on the car window as he tried to ignore the destination they were heading to.

"No, you're not fine. You were crying."

"I was not."

"Yes you were," She insisted. It didn't take a mastermind (no pun intended) to know that he wasn't alright. The mastermind knew it, but didn't want to admit it. "Are you thinking about your dad?" No response. "Nate?" No response. "Nate, I'm talking to you."

"In case you haven't noticed I don't feel like talking!" He said loudly, almost on the verge of yelling. "Now will you just shut up."

She gripped the steering wheel tighter and grit her teeth to keep from snapping back a splenetic retort. He could be so damn infuriating at times! All she wanted to do was try and help him, but no, he had to go and be a complete ass about it. And as much as she loved him they really needed a break to just clear their systems. Nate was still not right and she was just fed up with the team being such a nagging nuisance twenty four seven. She reminded herself to bring that up with him later.

Time passed tensely in the car. They were both quiet and locked in their own heads with their agonizingly tortuous thoughts. Lucky for both of them they were soon pulling up into the long driveway and up to the house nestled in the woods.

Sophie masked her surprise when she saw the brick house with ivy crawling up the sides. She hadn't really expected something like this for a man like Jimmy Ford. Then again Nate told her that the place he had resided in back in Boston had been decommissioned shortly after he was driven out of town. This must've been the house Nate got for him.

"Pretty house," Sophie admired.

"Yeah," Nate replied, hands deep in his pockets, kicking at the rocks on the ground. The sound of Lucille coming up the gravel driveway made both the Mastermind and the Grifter look up. The rest of the team clambered out of the van in sighs of relief. They ignored them.

Upon entering the house Nate assigned jobs for everyone to do. With groaning and complaining among the three they dispersed off to do their jobs. Nate took Sophie's hand and led her upstairs.

"Do you mind helping me with the bedroom?"

She tugged her hand away and stopped deftly in her tracks. "I'm still pissed at you for yelling at me in the car."

He sighed, walking past her and taking a seat on the top step of the stairs. "You know...I remember when I bought this house for my dad." He stared out the window on the wall opposite him and into the green forest. "When I was kid he always said that when he retired he was gonna live in a brick house with mom. He said they would sit on their back patio and stare out into the wood for hours...just enjoying the peace."

Sophie sat down next to him and took his hand in hers again. She looked over to see his eyes were already glossy with tears.

"And I'm sorry for snapping at you but I just..." He swallowed hard and blinked away the tears. "I just wish he wasn't gone."

She leaned over and kissed his cheek gently. "It's always hard to lose someone you love." She barely heard him mumble 'it is' before she rose to her feet. He briefly looked up before getting up with her. They walked into his room to see the bed was not made and his book still lay open on the bed.

"Let's get to work," He said quietly. It was hard for him to see the room just captured like a photo - untouched. He could picture him waking up and getting the call from Latimer. His throat burned as his eyes blurred with angry tears. It's done! he mentally shouted at himself. Sophies fingers slipped from his as she walked over to his bookshelf.

"Do you want to go through his books first?"

"Sure."

Only the books that held sentimental value were kept and the rest were for donation. They didn't talk much while they did this, only muttering which book went where. Every now and then the team would pop in with a question and he would answer it simply and blatantly.

"Nate..." Sophie started quietly. He looked up at her. "I was thinking that maybe once we get to wherever we're going that we should all take a break-"

"I was actually going to bring that up..." Nate cut her off. "Once we get to Portland to lay low for a little bit I'm going on a boat trip."

"Portland?! Boating?! Is this all part of your big plans?"

He sighed quietly and leaned over to kiss her forehead. "I just need some time to think, alright? A lot's been on my mind. I'll be gone for three months." He gently tucked her hair behind her ear and kissed her.

Sophie pressed her lips into a thin line, not exactly happy about it but at the same time knowing that it was a good idea. "It'll be good for everyone."

Hours later they had managed to get most everything sorted into their correct boxes. Since Jimmy had only lived there for a little over a year he didn't have much stuff in his bedroom. The next stop was the bathroom connecting to the bedroom. Nate sat on the floor in front on the cabinets while Sophie sat on the ground just outside the door. He was pulling out all the stuff and setting it into different piles where Soph would then put it into the according box. The system worked smoothly until she grabbed his wrist and plucked something from the cabinet.

"Isn't this the same aftershave you use?" She asked, looking at the bottle whose label had been worn off but was still half full of liquid.

He took the bottle from her and looked at it before handing it back. "Yeah."

She opened the bottle and inhaled the scent. "Mmm...I love the smell of that. Reminds me of you." She saw Nate smile a little bit when she said this and she couldn't help but lean over the bottles, putting an arm around his shoulders, and he turned his head to look at her. The next thing he knew her lips were on his as she kissed him gently, smiling slightly. When she pulled away she turned her head slightly and kissed his cheek, inhaling the smell of the aftershave on him as she pulled away. "So...tell me about it?"

He didn't respond. He was to be busy smiling at her.

"Nate!" Sophie snapped her fingers in his face. "Earth to Nate."

He blinked a few times before he actually looked at her. "Huh?"

"I said tell me about it," She said in a slightly annoyed tone, gesturing to the bottle in her hand.

"Oh! Well, um, It's the only aftershave I've ever used...I still like it so I don't see a need to go buy a different brand. My mom was the one who gave it to me when I was," he paused to think,"27 I believe. It was a year after I met Maggie."

She shot him a half playful and half serious look. "Oh, so you remember when you met Maggie but not me?"

Nate gave her a challenging look. He got on his hands and knees and moved until he was just an inch from her face. "You were wearing a purple dress that sparkled in the sun," He murmured, leaning in and kissing her. "And you had on opal earrings and ring." He kissed her again. "And your heels were black...5 inches if I remember correctly."

"What else?" She breathed before kissing him again.

"Your nails were painted green...and you had a wide black hat."

She tugged at his bottom lip with her teeth, grinning to herself. "So you do remember?"

He only grinned. Of course he remembered. How could he forget what she had been wearing? She was stunning - gorgeous. He could come up with a hundred different adjectives! In fact he remembered most of their encounters that, well, counted. He may not have gotten the right year or city name but he surely had a sharp visual memory. His train of thought was slowly getting off track as he stared into her chocolate brown eyes...the ones that almost had the power to control him as if he were her voodoo doll. "Come on now. We have work to do."


	4. Reminding Me Of You

**Okay this one is kinda short but this is the 8****th**** version for this prompt so yeah…I don't own Leverage by the way!**

**Story Note: Sometime in season 5. Sophies secret: Shampoo**

_Reminding Me Of You_

They're taking a shower together for what seemed to be the billionth time. Neither of them cared though. This time Nate was pressing kisses to Sophie's neck, water running over his face and over her skin, hands grazing over her hip and gripping them gently. Every now and then she would moan as she exhaled, gasping or whimpering when he would bite her. Her one hand was grasping his bicep tightly and the other was cupping the nape of his neck.

"Nate..." She breathed, trying to clear the fog in her head. He only moved his lips lower. "Nate. Nate, we need to stop. We're not done getting cleaned and we can't stay in the hot water all night."

He faltered, slowly pulling his lips away from her soft skin. Out of habit, he ran his hand through his hair to keep it from plastering to his head. "Afterwards?"

"I promise." She rest her hands on his shoulders and leaned up to kiss him. When she pulled away she saw he was smiling slightly. She just wanted to throw herself all over him now but resisted the urge. Instead she grabbed the same apple shampoo Nate had been using for as long as she had known him. It was the same scent she often smelled when they cuddled together on the couch or just moments before she would fall asleep. It was the one she'd sometimes smell on Nates hoodies whenever she'd steal them or the one she'd smell in the morning when she woke up on his side of the bed. Either way it always reminded her of him and she could never get enough of it. She spread it evenly through her hair and massaged it into her scalp, running her fingers through her hair as she worked it into it.

Nate, who had taken the bottle after her, was now washing his own hair. "Why do you like to use my shampoo all the time?"

She avoided his gaze, a slightly embarrassed blush creeping into her face. "Umm...I just like how it smells."

"Oh, and that's all?" He asked, knowing full well there was more.

"No...I..." Sophie quickly tried to think of excuses. "Um...yeah...It smells good."

"And...?"

Her lips contorted into a slightly frustrated pout. "I'll explain later! Can we just finish our shower before we turn into prunes?" Nate chuckled, but reluctantly stopped asking her questions.

Of course, Nate had not forgotten the other promise that had been made during the shower and now had Sophie pinned against the wall as he kissed her deeply. She had a leg hooked around his and a hand grasping at his curly hair. He slanted his mouth against hers slightly, teasing her lips with his tongue. Her own lips parts slightly, only to realize he had pulled away.

"Are you gonna tell me?" He mumbled in a teasing voice.

She pressed herself against him more, looking deep in his eyes. "I have no idea what your talking about." Her eyes slipped shut, leaning in for another kiss. He turned his head and her lips brushed over the stubble on his jaw line. She pouted. "Nate."

"Tell me."

"Why does it matter?"

"I'm curious."

She raised her eyebrows slightly and tilted her head to the side. "Curiosity killed the cat, Nathan."

He only smiled and craned his head slightly as he moved his lips lower. He nipped at her skin, which left little red marks all over her pretty little neck. "Last I checked I wasn't a cat." She only moaned quietly. "Why won't you give up any of your secrets?"

Sophie grabbed his hair and tried to push him down lower but he was not going anywhere. "Nate...stop teasing me," She begged in a tone that sounded drugged.

He only continued with the tortuous teasing, muttering 'tell me' against her skin again.

Finally she couldn't handle it anymore and cracked. "Fine, fine I'll tell you." His lips left her skin as he looked up at her with attentive eyes. "I-I like using it because it reminds me of you...and whenever I smell it it makes me feel safe..."

"You're too adorable Soph," He said with a smile. He captured her lips in another deep kiss, guiding her over to the bed without ever breaking the kiss. Gently he pulled away and lowered her back onto the bed. He thought it was quite a silly secret for her to keep from him but he found her reasoning just too adorable and he couldn't keep a grudge. Taking in all her beauty once more he leaned down and captured her lips in another heated kiss.

**And don't forget to send in prompts please :)**


	5. The Heros Grave

**I know, I know, it's been like three weeks since I updated! I spent like a week working on (what will be) chapter 7 and then got stuck so I decided I should just write these since I had the plot line already. Good news is that the next update should be quicker. Anywho, this is actually kind of a crossover with the move ****K-19: The Widowmaker ****because Pauls father is Lt. Vadim Radtchinko. Hope you guys like it! **

**Story Note: Pre series. Nates secret: Radiation/courage (not sure how to explain this secret…) **

_The Heros Grave_

There's a certain chill in the air. It's the same chill that Sophie's body often craves when she's in the heat of a Morocco beach. Her body's wrapped up in soft fur that her numb fingers play with as she waits for the train. The place is bustling with people, shoes scuffling and shuffling, and walking heel-toe. She scrapes the sole of her boots across the slick, salted ground. Light streams through the dirty windows and cast murky shadows over the trains as they haul into the station with a booming noise. It feels as if she is at home in this place even though strangers surround her. The cool, crisp air and the frolicking of people around her and bustling of trains...she loves the atmosphere. Her numb fingers reach up to scratch her flushed cheeks, the feeling making her skin tingle.

She can feel the thump of her heart in her chest as the time for the train arrival nears. Already in the past week she's missed a lunch date and a dinner date, and she wasn't ready to join in the failure yet a third time. It wasn't like she had a specific place she was going to, but she liked the city the train was headed to. She pushed her sleeve up and looked down at her watch. There was still 13 minutes until the train came! With a defeated sigh, she turned around and walked in the other direction. As she headed farther from the trains the people thinned out and revealed a strip of small shops. Her eyes skipped over the desaturated, run down shops looking for a coffee shop. Aha!

She continued to play with the fur of her jacket as she walked over, her gait almost a dance as she slipped and slid her way past all the people. With a final twist she stopped right before the last person in line. He wore a beanie hat, the edges of his dark curly brown hair peaking out from underneath. His shoulders appeared broad because of the heavy black coat he wore. Sophie tapped the man the shoulder. He turned around. They both grinned.

"Sophie!"

"Nate!" She replied enthusiastically, her dark brown eyes lighting up and her smile illuminating. He looked as though he was just past the stage of a 5 o'clock shadow, his face covered in thick stubble. She reached out, playful scratching at it. "Growing a beard, huh?"

"No...just some scruff," He replied a little coyly, his smile embarrassed. "I see you're just as classy as ever." Her hand was still holding his face and the words 'you're just as beautiful as ever' almost came falling from his mouth.

Sophie merely rolled her eyes and pulled her hand away. Classy, she thought, has he ever seen me in the morning? She shook the thought away. "What are you doing here?"

His grin faded and his voice became low and gritty. "Um...it's...I'm here for a friend..."

"A friend? Wait...you don't mean...I swear I didn't steal anything Nate!"

"No, no, no, it's not about you." Someone yelled at him to move up, startling him, and making him turn around. He stepped up to the counter and ordered his coffee and then Sophie's. She didn't notice he had ordered for her, nor did she notice he paid for it. When she felt his hand wrap around her wrist, his rough fingers grazing her cold skin, she looked up at him.

"Come on."

"But I have to-"

"I took care of it," He replied as he dragged her over to the other side of the counter. Not much later the young boy brought over both cups of coffee and handed them to the Insurance Cop and Thief. Sophie took hers with a small smile and 'thank you' in Russian. Nathan merely nodded. "Where are you headed?"

"Does it matter?" She snorted. "I'd be in London right now but the weather is a mess and it's far too lukewarm for the south." She looked at him with a small smirk. "I think it's a bit ironic that were both here right now...so why don't you tell me exactly why you're here."

He sipped his hot coffee, using it to warm up his shivering hands. Of course he had forgotten to grab his gloves before he left his hotel. "Paying some respects at a cemetery...then I'm going back home."

"Hm. You should stay. We could burn some time together here...it's pretty in the winter."

Her eyes were lost in some sort of fantasy that would never be - he could see that much. She imagined them eloping off to a European country and him leaving his wife. How nice it would be if they could finally be together. It wouldn't be anything close to domestic - could you imagine how stifling it would be? - but it would be nice. He would chase her during the day, a wickedly smart and handsome insurance cop, and then at night her lover, a man full of emotion and lust. His hands would roam over her soft skin...a scalding fire beside them and a bear skin rug underneath her. She would run her hands over the muscles of his back, digging her fingers in, grasping at his hair, and melting in his embrace. The fantasy grew and her surroundings turned to blank space around her; a place where nothing existed expect her happy thoughts.

It shattered as she heard her name and the screech of a train.

"Sophie! Were you even listening?!" He said in a frustrated tone. "I was trying to explain something and you were off dreaming about something that'll never happen! My train just pulled in...I have to go. Bye Soph."

The words hurt Sophie more then they should've. She knew it was all a fantasy, but she also knew that soon his marriage was going to fall apart. With him being gone all the time she was surely going to get tired of waiting for him. She pursed her lips, looking at the list of trains coming in, and then following Nate onto the train. Funny how we're going to the same place, she thought almost bitterly. She sat down next to him. "You don't know that."

"Know what?"

"That it'll never happen."

"Sophie, this is what I was trying to explain. I am married, alright? We've been over this hundreds of times."

"I know, I know," She said agitated, rolling her eyes. Pressing her fingers against the side of her head where a throbbing headache was starting to form, she sighed. "Can I go to the cemetery with you?"

"Sure."

And with that the two fell silent. Both sipped their coffee as the desaturated blurs of the city flittered by. The people on the train were few and far between; no one was out in the cold weather during the middle of the day. Those who were on the train were dressed in heavy coats and hats and gloves, and sat there with a distant look upon their face. The jostling of the train rocked their limp bodies back and forth but no one was fazed. As the silence seemed to grow among the passengers so did the roar of the train. It made Sophie's headache worse and Nates ears ring. The coffee helped ease the annoyance it brought (they're both badly addicted to coffee, but that's irrelevant).

It felt as though they were in a purgatory. They were trapped on train that went on a straight path forever. It was a silly thought, granted, the boring air and bland colors weren't much of an entertainment of the mind though. The only thing that kept Sophie's mind from drifting off to the doldrums was the scarce bit of contact she had of Nate. Every time their hands brushed against each other she had to resist the strong urge to kiss him senseless. Somehow she managed to keep a calm composure until what seemed to be a never-ending train ride finally came to a stop. They rose to their feet, shifting, twisting, and stretching as they worked out their sore muscles. Then they walked off of the train and into a train station that was quite similar to the one they had been in earlier.

After weaving their way through the crowd of people they came out the front entrance and back into the chill of Russian winter. They disposed of their finished cups of Mokka and stuffed their now numbing hands in their pockets. Their hands didn't stay there for long as they quickly caught a cab and got in the warm car. With a little fuss they managed to tell the driver where they wanted to go. It was a long drive full of annoying Russian music...but somehow they survived.

After almost slipping off the road because of the slippery ice and getting the horn blared at them as they nearly ran through a red light, they finally came to their destination. With a look of sweet relief the two got out of the car. They paid the driver and he sped off.

"Who is this friend of yours?"

"Does it matter?" He answered, purposely using the same excuse she had earlier. "I'm just paying respects to his fathers grave and then I'm leaving."

"His fathers grave?" She asked curiously as they walked in through the open cast iron fence that cut off the cemetery from the rest of the world. The small walkways going between graves were shoveled, yet there was still a layer of ice and snow on the ground. "Why visit his fathers grave?"

"He had extraordinary courage..." Nate said as they walked down the small walkways. He was looking around the cemetery for Paul when he spotted him just beyond a small brick house. They went in that direction.

"So? Beside the fact he's your friend, why are you here? It must have some deeper meaning." She was persistent on getting an answer. With the amount of time he spent chasing thieves around the globe she was sure he would be at home every chance he could get. For him to be out and about for no reason was something, well, something she'd never seen before. They had been walking underneath a brick structure when she noticed he stopped. She turned to look at him.

"Vadim got radiation poisoning...his whole body was burned, alright? He was part of the initial crew on K-19 back in the Cold War. He put his life on the line to keep the reactor on the ship from blowing up and killing the entire crew and probably doing more damage. It was his life that was at stake and he took the risk. So yes Sophie, there's a reason I'm here." And with that he turned and walked of toward the small group of soviets around the grave.

Radiation. The words rung hauntedly in her mind. Her hand went to her neck and she scratched at the long-gone scar there. Flashbacks flittered through her eye, playing on the brick wall that was staring at her. She felt the familiar feeling of a tidal wave hitting the back of her eyes as tears welled up in her eyes. Blinking them away she managed to recompose herself and head back over to Nate.

The wind whistled in her ears and threw the ends of her hair in the current. Her boots scuffed along the icy path. Now the world seemed to be black and white, the dreary remembrance of her childhood almost portraying itself upon current life. She shook her head. Foolish thoughts they were, and they mustn't be bothering her right now, for she had to be there with Nate and be strong. She managed to catch up with him and apologize for being ignorant before they arrived at the grave.

"Thanks for coming Nate," Paul said quietly once they came up to the grave. "Who's this?"

"I'm Sophie...you must be Nates friend," She said politely, holding out her hand, but keeping a hand still on her neck.

He shook her hand. "I'm Paul."

She smiled briefly before turning her attention to the grave. There was a couple flowers laid upon the snowy grave. Nobody spoke a single word. They stared at the grave in a mourning silence until it started to snow. The roads would soon be covered in a blanket of snow and trying to get to either of their hotels would be miserably hopeless. Nate said his goodbyes to Paul, and then they left.

It was a cold, quiet ride back to the inner city. Nate seemed to be off in a distant train of thought and she didn't dare disturb it. She herself was in her own world thinking about her childhood and her past. It wasn't the most comforting thoughts but at least she was able to pass the stretches of silence without completely slipping into doldrums. Once they were back at the train station she finally broke the heavy silence by asking if she could go to his hotel. In no position to decline, he said yes, and became as quite as a statue again.

Finally they got into his hotel room. Sophie immediately stripped down to her white leggings and red sweater. As she kicked off her snowy, wet boots she could feel his eyes staring at her. She only smirked because - after all - he was a man and her bottoms, for lack of a better word, did not leave much to the imagination. "Come on," She said, snuggling under the blankets and gesturing to the spot next to her. She tried to keep the seductiveness out of her smile but she knew it wouldn't work.

He was still trying to get the picture of Sophie in those white leggings out of his mind. Sure, he loved Maggie and all, but damn... "Um...I'm gonna change first." He quickly grabbed a t-shirt and sweatpants before heading into the bathroom. After changing he came back out and got in bed with Sophie since his only other option was a chair, and he knew sitting there would've offended her greatly. They were both turned on their sides looking at each other. That's when he noticed the red spot on her neck. "Were you scratching at your neck?"

Her hand went to cover the mark on her neck as she tried to keep her eyes from widening. "Oh, um, yeah!" Before he could make another comment or question she said, "did you ever meet Paul's father?"

"No...he died before Paul was even born. That's how I know I'm lucky...cause I grew up with my dad. He wasn't the greatest dad but at least he was there..." His eyes were lost and solemn as he spoke quietly, his voice becoming just slightly rough. "When I was a kid I hung out with my small group of friends...they were like my family because I knew that they would do anything to protect me - I would do the same - and it just goes to show that family isn't always by blood."

"Like the sailors on the boat?"

"Yeah," He smiled sadly, "like the sailors on the boat. The whole core of this thing is that Vadim knew that he would die trying to fix the reactor...but he did it anyways because he knew if he succeeded he would save the rest of their lives. That's why I admire him...he was willing to give up his own life to save others."


	6. What The Neck?

**The only thing I'm not entirely sure on in this chapter is if radioactive clouds can actually produce rain.**

**Story Note: Pre-series. Same verse as chapter 5 (in fact there's only a short time lapse between the two) Sophies secret: Radiation**

_What The Neck?_

Once Nate had turned the light off and fallen silent she had got to thinking. Her fingers traced over the long-gone scar as she slowly drifted off into the doldrums.

It all started way back during that horrid Easter break. The whole family was down in Casica France on vacation. They had been saving up for many years to take the trip and everyone was beyond excited. There were huge smiles plastered on 16 year old Sophie and 14 year old Louisas face as they eagerly awaited their arrival to the rental house. It was May 4th and the warm air was rushing in the windows of the car, the whole family singing to the music on the radio.

It was a short drive out into the countryside where they would be staying. The house was nestled on a hill on the edge of a large forest. When they arrived they saw the towering pines and the oaks that seemed to touch the clouds above them. As their eyes travelled up their brown trunks and to the sky they sighed. Dreary weather they had today. It was overcast, covering up the glorious warming sun. For the children it did not matter; they were too excited to be going on vacation to be sad. Once they got out of the car Sophie did a cartwheel onto the grass and Louisa sped over to a small apple tree and hung upside down on the branches.

All was well in the McAlester family.

Somehow, some way, Sophie had managed to coax her parents into letting her drive down to the beach. She didn't plan on actually going swimming or anything of that nature because it was still too cold. Instead she sat in the sand drawing pictures with her fingers as she lay on her stomach. She watched the waves roll in over and over, swaying her feet in the air, and hoping for something mildly interesting to happen. That's when it started to rain. Sophie adored the rain. Young Sophie that is. She rolled onto her back and squeezed her eyes shut, letting the rain pelt her. Droplets of water seeped into her mouth, tasting faintly of metal, and making her cringe.

When the wind and the rain picked up so much that it was almost painful, Sophie got up and headed to her car. She drove back to the rental house in the pouring rain as quickly as she could without it being dangerous. When she got home her parents were slightly miffed at her but she shrugged them off and went to go change her clothes. Only two hours later was the whole family packed in the car and heading out to eat.

Still all was well.

Or so they all thought.

The next day they were out at a farm. The sky was still overcast and the temperature was still lukewarm. Not much had changed except for the fact Sophie had developed a cough. It wasn't too bad of a cough, and she mostly blamed it on the change of weather. They were in the little store connected to the farm when she saw cheese that looked quite interesting. Her parents bought her some of it because it was a vacation and, well, why the hell not? She ate most of it before they even left.

The next day was when all hell broke loose.

It's hard for her to recall all the events that happened that day, but she can remember how most of the day was spent vomiting and coughing. Her stomach felt like someone had beat it to death with a stick and her chest burned like fire every time she coughed. That she could not forget. Nor could she forget the French doctors words.

Sophie woke in cold sweat. She was breathing heavy and her whole body was trembling. The light streaming in through the hotel window was enough for her to see Nates sleeping face in front of her. She wiped away the small tears coming from her eyes and curled up next to him. Her fingers scratched lazily at the scar on her neck. 17 years ago...it had been 17 years since that horrid Easter Break. An unpleasant shiver ran up her spine and she squeezed her eyes shut, hoping to banish any bad thoughts that were still lingering around.

OoO

It seemed as though she had only gotten a minute of sleep before Nate was shaking her awake. Her eyes shot open and she nearly scrambled to sit up, which caused Nate to take a couple steps back because she never moved that quickly in the morning. The words got stuck in his throat as he saw her bloodshot eyes flicking over the room and her body shaking just slightly. His next words also got stuck in his throat when he noticed the red mark on her neck that looked like a hickey. She looked at him, taking shallow breaths, her hand reaching up to cover the mark on her neck.

"Are you alright?" He finally managed to get out.

She nodded yes, only her bulging, distant eyes betrayed her. He sat down on the bed and looked at her curiously.

"Did you have a bad dream?"

She shook her head no.

"Will you please tell me what's wrong?"

She shook her head no again.

"Please?"

She bit her lip nervously, her hand sweating against her neck. The haunting images of her nightmares still lingered on the back of her eyelids, screaming their terror at her every time she closed her eyes. She didn't want to be sitting there like a vulnerable freak. She didn't want to be scared because of a nightmare. Nor did she fancy being in Russia. "I wanna go home," She whispered quietly. "I wanna be with my mum and dad."

He looked at her sadly...she must've had a very bad nightmare. "Hey...come here," He said, holding his arms out to her. Whenever Sam had a bad dream a hug always made him feel better - safer somehow. She scooted across the bed and wrapped her arms around him. He hugged her tightly. "It's alright Soph. Whatever happened can't hurt you anymore."

She gripped his shirt tightly and grit her teeth painfully hard. It took all her willpower not to start crying. Then she heard Nate crack a joke from The Holy Grail and she couldn't help but laugh. Her tears seemed to shrink back as she laughed, and she pulled away to look at him. "Thanks."

"You're welcome. Um...could you - if it's alright - tell me what happened to your neck?"

"I...," She looked down at her lap, "It's from surgery I had when I was a kid..." She shook her head quickly. "It doesn't matter."

"Does it have to do with your bad dream?"

Her dream had been horrible. It was back during that horrid Easter Break, but instead of her recovering her whole body practically melted from the inside out. Her skin had curled up like charred layers and drifted away as her organs seemed to boil and rot inside her. It was as if she was being slowly broiled in an oven. Her eyes were clenched shut, and just before she opened them she almost expected to see her skin burning away. It was just a delusion though. "Radiation," She whispered hoarsely, "it's all about the radiation."

"What has to do with the radiation? Your bad dream? The surgery you had done on your neck?"

"Both."

Nate was starting to become a little impatient, but he knew that somehow the mention of radiation had triggered a traumatic event recall. At the same time he wondered how the surgery she had done on her neck had to do with radiation. "Will you please tell me what's wrong? I just want to help you."

"I'm being haunted by my past goddammit! Ever since you said that what's-his-face had radiation poisoning!" She yelled, throwing her arms in the arm. There it was. Her anger, denial, sadness, guilt, and all those feelings she got right before something she _shouldn't_ say - almost always _couldn't_ say - came spilling from her mouth. It would happen whether she liked it or not, because sooner or later the pain and the bothering became too much.

"You...you had radiation poisoning?"

She choked on her tears. Her whole body rocked with nausea. The pain in her head grew. She wanted the pain gone now! "I could have died. It started way back when I was 16 and we were in France on vacation. It was May 4th 1986 and news about the Chernobyl disaster hadn't even gotten out yet. The whole trip it was overcast...with radioactive clouds. It was the second day of our trip and I had gone down to the beach by myself. It started to rain while I was there - I adored the rain when I was a kid - so I stayed. I was lying on the beach completely oblivious to the fact my body was absorbing radiation." Her look turned to one of utter disgust and displeasure. "I got a cough the next day. No one thought much of it. That was until later when we were at a farm and they had fresh cheese. Did you know radiation absorbs into vegetables and dairy products the fastest? I was vomiting the next day. Once my parents decided I really needed to get to a hospital, we found out that many people had come in with similar symptoms." Her eyes clouded with anger as her voice became stiff. "They had been diagnosed with thyroid cancer. No one knew why the number had jumped so suddenly, but they weren't going to let anything slip about it. Some died because the cancer spread to other parts of their body...some lived. Either way they all had to have their thyroid glands removed. That's what the scar is from. I don't know what else you want to know, but that's what happened, and in my dream I didn't survive the cancer...my entire body was burned from radiation."

His blue eyes were so soft and sympathetic as he looked at her. She really was a strong woman. He could see the tears that wanted to fall so desperately...the tears that wanted to show how hard it was for her. And if he were in her position it would be hard for him too. Suddenly his train of thought was interrupted as Sophie got off the bed.

"I'm sorry. I really should get going. Look, I'll see you sometime soon." She went to pick her jacket up but Nate had already gotten to his feet and kicked it out of the way before she could grab it. Her mouth opened to protest but he cut her short.

"Why are you doing this?"

"I'm not doing anything Nate! Will you please move."

He didn't move. The fury was already coursing through her eyes but he was not fazed by it. She was playing a game - the same one she always did - and he was getting really tired of it. Every bloody time she did something that made even the slightest chink in the wall she put up would put her into a tailspin.

"I said move!" She shouted. Her palms hit him flat on his chest with extreme force, sending him stumbling back onto the bed. Taking the split second she had she grabbed her coat and headed towards the door.

"HEY!"

The pure volume of his voice made her freeze.

"S-sorry I didn't mean to yell like that. I just want to talk to you-"

"I don't want to talk Nate!"

"Why damn it? Why don't you want to talk?" The anger had gone down to a simmer, but the flames still smoldered underneath his eyes. His voice had become sharper, yet still calm and blatant.

When she finally met his eyes they were shiny with tears and so unbearably sad. It was as if he was looking at the eyes of a kicked puppy. Guilt started to weigh him down. She dropped her coat to the floor and walked over to him, dragging her feet along the floor. When she stopped in front of him she reached up and held his face in her hands. His quizzical eyes looked into hers. "Because...I should've never told you about it." And then she wrapped her arms around him and hugged him and to Nate it almost felt like she was leaving - for forever. Tears welled up in his eyes, but he shut them, took a few deep breaths, and cherished the moment for what it was.

This woman - this beautiful woman - had somehow been hurt by forces, people, things that would probably always stay a secret from him. She was hurt and broken. There was no way he could change a single damn thing about it but he knew that being that person for her to lean on made all the difference.


	7. A Shrine Of Fedoras

**What? Oh, is this me back with new chapters already? Hope you guys like them :)**

**Story Note: Season 2. Nates secret: Fedoras**

_A Shrine Of Fedoras _

It started with a spilt drink. Cliché, I know. But you know how when you're just having a bad day and fretting and flailing and nothing seems to go right? Yeah, it was one of those days.

This con was especially stressful on the Grifter of the group. She was playing 2 parts with 2 different cons and a handbasket full of accents and costumes. Not to mention she had to help Nate with the con and she had to worry about Parker being Parker and, well, overall she was just overwhelmed.

They had been working on the con and had lost track of time. By now it was already 11:34 and neither of them had realized it. They were going over plans and schematics and this and that, and the pot of coffee had already run out and they had started a new one.

"Well if we can't get through the back door, the front door, the window, or the roof do you expect us to tunnel under the building?" Sophie asked sarcastically, jabbing her finger at the blueprints.

"Yep."

"You're not serious are you?" She asked, sitting up completely and looking straight at him.

"I'm completely serious. We need to get under the building and work our way up. We can't just spider man up the top the building and go down through the roof. We'll trip the alarms."

"Hardison can take care of those."

"No he can't. He needs physical access to the server, which is why you and Parker need to crawl up the air ducts," Nate said confidently, pointing to the small room on the basement floor. He almost has to keep himself from laughing; she was so adorable when she was angry. And her haircut added to it.

"No! I'm not crawling through bloody airducts! Especially not with Parker," She puffed. Nate only chuckled. "Oh sod off, Nathan."

"I'm going to get some more coffee." He stood up and walked over to the coffee pot. She continued to ramble on about how she wasn't going to do this or that. The sound of her heels clicking over the wooden floor became more fast paced and he could almost see her waving her arms around. He finished pouring his scalding hot coffee and then turned around.

She was right there.

He jumped in fright, the cup slipping out of his hand and the boiling coffee spilling all over her. She yelped in pain, taking a few steps back.

"Sophie! Sophie, are you alright? Dammit. Sorry about that. I didn't know you were standing right there."

She was holding her self, a whining pain coming from her as she tried to hold back tears. "This really hurts," she hissed.

"I said sorry!"

"Sorry won't make the pain go away you idiot!" Her face contorted into pain as her skin crawled with an itchy, burning fire. "A little help would be nice!"

Nate, who had already been trying to get the stuff he needed, snapped back. "I'm working on it. Will you hold on a second. Take off your shirt."

"But it hurts!"

He made an exasperated noise and slammed the cupboard shut. He pushed her arms away from her body and tore her shirt open, buttons popping off and going everywhere. She was burned mostly down the center of her stomach and chest, and it really did look painful. "Alright go upstairs. I'll be up in a moment."

She quickly left to go upstairs. Her heart seemed to be pounding in her chest because of the sensitivity now there. Gently, she pressed her fingers to the burn on her stomach. Pain shot through her skin and her veins pulsed beneath her touch. She pulled her hand away and brought it up to wipe her tears away. His bed was made and his room was spotless much like she expected. Pulling the ripped blouse off slowly, she let it drop to the floor. She cautiously got onto his bed and laid down, enjoying it for just a small moment before he walked in.

He stopped in his tracks. The sight in front of him was way too good to not enjoy. His rate sped up as he walked over to her. "You're staying here tonight. Soon it's going to be too painful for you to bend down or lean back and it's far too late for you to be driving home."

"I appricate the concern but I can take care of myself." She shifted on his bed so she could kick her shoes off but then yelped as pain shot through her torso. "Okay, nevermind, you were right."

He just gave her a look. "So...how are you taking the breakup?" He asked this purely in his own self-interest. Ever since she'd become single again, he'd been trying to hit it off with her, but somehow he got kicked with a foot full of coward. Pretty much he was failing miserably.

"Fine I guess. Why do you care?"

He looked her in the eyes. "What? I can't be concerned about you?"

When he looked her in the eyes she knew he was about to lie or cover up for something. She was right. Sometimes he could be too easy. "Oh, you can be concerned, but maybe next time when you're lying don't look me in the eyes," She said with a wink.

"I'm not lying."

"But you didn't give me the right answer."

He shook his head dismissively. "Anyways..." He hesitated slightly before the words spilled from his mouth. "Can you take your bra off?"

"What?!" She exclaimed, taken off guard by the sudden, almost inappropriate, question. "Why-why would I need to do that?"

"Because I'm trying to treat your burns and it's in the way."

"No way in bloody hell!"

"Sophie."

"No!"

"Sophie!" He yelled again, getting more aggravated with her. Of course he respected her and her limitations but he did really need to take care of her burns. "Look, it's only going to irritate your skin so it would be better if you just took it off."

Now with a little bit more of an explanation she caved. "Okay, fine, whatever." With a pause and a rethink she stopped him. "But don't you dare make a big deal about it."

"Alright. I respect you enough to do that." When she didn't move to take it off he hesitated. Was she expecting him to do it? She gave him an expectant look. So that was a yes. He put a hand on her upper back and lifted her up gently, unclasping it with his fingers quickly before setting her back down.

"You're quick," She breathed, voice rough and filling with lust. Only as his fingers grazed against the skin of her back did she realize how turned on she'd become. Her heart rate was thumping in her chest as he slowly pulled it over her arms and tossed it to the side. She saw his eyes grow to nearly the size of dinner plates before he tore his eyes away. That only made her squirm on the bed.

"I'll just get your burns treated and then you can borrow one of my shirts that's too big on you so it won't rub against your skin," He said quickly. "And I'll sleep downstairs on the couch and you can sleep up here."

"Yeah, alright, fine, whatever," She stuttered, her jaw seeming to lock in excitement. From where she lay she could see he was trying his best not to look at her. While she so badly wanted to tease him about his incapability to be proffesional about this, she knew that if she were in his place she would be having the same issues.

"Okay...uh...let me know if it's uncomfortable..."

She nodded. She hoped he wouldn't be able to feel her heart beat in her chest, as it was going off the charts. For some odd reason it didn't feel uncomfortable...it felt (beside the burning pain) sexually frustrating. His hands pressed gently against her skin, making her gasp. The cool feeling of whatever he was using (she hadn't cared to look) made goose bumps pop up like popcorn on her skin. She hissed in pain as he spread it down the length of her burn. "Careful!"

"I'm trying," He grumbled. He knew she wouldn't like having the cool, slimy Aloe Vera all over her skin, but it would hurt much worse if he didn't. As he did this, he did his very best to be professional about the situation. His hand stayed over her heart just long enough for him to feel the fast beat of her heart. He pulled his hands away, finished with her burn, and getting up from his spot. "I'm gonna go wash my hands...uh, don't move."

"Wasn't planning on it," She retorted boredly, almost a childish hint in the tone of her voice.

"Hmph." He walked into the bathroom, quickly washing and drying his hands. When he came back he saw she was staring up at the ceiling and not paying attention to him. For a second he let his eyes rest on her exposed body and he felt a strong wave of desire wash through him. He needed her. And badly. He walked over to her and sat down. She didn't look at him. "Hey...look at me."

She looked at him. The look in his eyes made her stop for a moment. There was a glint there...a slightly mischievous smirk on his face. Her eyes narrowed briefly before he was leaning down and his lips were on hers. She gasped quietly. His mouth was slow against hers and she responded quickly. It was all over too soon. "Nate..."

"Goodnight...I'll see you in the morning." And with that he was gone.

OoO

The first thought that popped into Sophie Devereauxs mind when she woke up the next morning was how much her whole torso hurt. She groaned in pain as she rolled over onto her back. The blanket shifted over the raw spot on her body, making her jerk back in pain and causing her head to hit the headboard. She groaned again. She pushed the covers off and unsteadily got out of bed, face contorting at the pain. Carefully, she made her way over to the closet and opened the doors. What she saw made her jaw drop.

Rows and rows of fedoras. They were colorful, old, big, new, patterned, and some with prints on them. She saw ones that looked as though they had never been worn and a few in boxes down below. It was absolutely horrifying and mesmerizing at the same time. There were ones with big stripes and small strips, and stars and circles - her eyes throbbed from the sight. Slowly she reached out to grab one of them when suddenly someone was in front of her and the closet door slammed shut.

"What are you doing?!" Nate demanded, his breathing heavy and his eyes bulging. He was standing stiff as a skyscraper with his sweaty hands holding the doors shut. His heart pounded irregularly in his chest as he stood there - on guard.

"I was looking for a shirt..."

He nudged his head over to the other closet doors. "Over there."

She shot him a strange look before walking over to the other one. "That's quite the collection of fedoras you have," She observed as she looked around for a shirt. "Nate, these are all suits and dress shirts."

"Uh, um, l-look in the-the dresser over there!"

He had not moved from his spot, looking at the ground, and practically boring holes in it. Was he that embarrassed about her knowing about his collection of fedoras? or was it the fact the top half of her body was completely exposed? She pulled open the first drawer to see that it was his boxers and socks. She shut it quickly. Luckily the next drawer she tried had his t-shirts in it. Grabbing one of his black ones, she slipped it over her head and then unbutton her jeans and slid them off.

"Do you mind if I stay here?"

"For what reason?" He replied without looking up. Why did she have to look at his closet? It was purely humiliating. Nobody knew about his collection...he didn't want them to think he was weird.

"Nathan...look at me."

He looked up, eyes traveling very slowly over her smooth, bronze legs. His black shirt hung just low enough to drive him crazy and send a surging pulse of need through him. He forced his eyes up to her face. She was looking at him in all her simplistic beauty and it was all he needed to falter and cave. "Yeah...you can stay."

"Thank you, but I wanted to talk about that," She gestured to the closet behind him. "You do know it's alright?"

"It's not alright Sophie! I didn't want you - or anyone really - to find out because I didn't want you to think I was weird." He admitted this sheepishly because he wasn't quite sure what else to say. His face was burning bright red and he looked down again to hide it from her. "I'm embarrassed, alright?"

"There's nothing to be embarrassed about Nate." She saw his grip on the handles lessen just slightly, or maybe he was just shifting - it was hard to tell. A few things flashed across her mind, and suddenly she was walking towards him. Looking into his eyes, she smiled, her own eyes a little innocent and devious. "Now...why don't we go have breakfast?"

**Kind of abrubt ending but I couldn't think of how to end it ~**


	8. Layers Of A Diamond

Story Note: Overview of all 5 seasons. Sophies Secret: High Heels

_Layers Of A Diamond_

The sun she wakes up to seems pointless. The expensive sheets she sleeps under seem pointless. Her closet full of clothes _is_ pointless. The high heels she slips on just because she knows Nate will look seem the most pointless of all though.

Her figure stands a couple inches taller in the heels, putting her chin just a little higher, and giving her the illusion she's a little more confident. She spends her time doing her hair - making it look at it's best every day - just so she can have the pride in knowing Nate looked. And every day she wears clothes that flatter her figure, always making the effort, always doing it even when she dreads it, only because he would stop and look.

But that's as far as it he ever goes. He only ever just looks at the outside of her; the facet of a diamond. She learned not too long - after the team started - that he didn't care anymore. He didn't care about her or her secrets or any other goddamn thing that had to do with her.

And it hurt.

It hurt her more then it should've. That's how it always is, isn't it? Everything always hurts more then it should, it always hurts worse then you thought it would because you were so sure, _so damn sure_, it would never happen.

She gave him those special looks whenever she could sneak them and all he did was stare back at her as if she were a brick wall. A stupid, one-sided brick wall. That's when she realized she was done for. Back when he was chasing her she would give him those same looks and she would see the struggle in his eyes. Now there was nothing.

But she kept slipping on her heels because being looked at as a brick wall is better then nothing.

OoO

The tailspin starts when someone decides to take a second glance at her. A second glance at a woman in worn tennis shoes, jeans that don't fit quite right, and a hoodie. Her hair's in a messy ponytail and she has almost no makeup on. That's when she met him. And for once she didn't need the heels to feel confident.

Then he shows up, and even with those stupid curlers in her hair, she sees a flicker of something there - something she can't quite understand. That flicker's enough for her to try.

And try.

And try.

She keeps falling though. Her fingers can't quite grasp it and her feet slip hopelessly - tears pour from her cracking eyes; the world seems to be crumbling around her. Not even when Nate looks at her with his rare smile and soft blue eyes can the world be brought back together. Nor when his lips are just an inch from hers.

It's become pointless again.

And it'll stay pointless.

Until it's not anymore, but by then it's too late, and her mission has failed and he's gone. And every damn day that he is gone she wishes that just for a moment he would be there, turning his head, and looking at her, and at least admiring her for what she is on the outside.

OoO

This is when it becomes more difficult to hold back. This is when their fun little game of cat and mouse resumes. This is when she starts to see him starting to look at her. Really starting to question what she was and who she was and what made her who she is now. She finds it fun to keep secrets just because she know he'll try harder; push himself past his own limits just to test her and sneak his own looks when he knows that she'll see him.

They become closer. Finally something real. Friends.

That's why when she purposely shows up at her funeral, purposely walks very close to him, and purposely wears those heels and that dress she knows he'll ask her out. She knows that after a big con and six months of waiting he won't be able to resist.

Plus she _might_ give him her real name. If he's lucky enough.

He gets drunk and she's tipsy, and it leads to decisions they may or may not regret later, but it doesn't matter because it just _feels so_ damn good after all those years of waiting.

But when she wakes up she does remember sleeping with him and she does remember him being drunk, but what she doesn't remember is keeping her high heels on.

OoO

Nothing's pointless anymore. The games been ramped up and both are determined to see who can crack first. She's wearing shorter skirts and higher heels just to see how far she can push him - loving the way he'll drop something on the ground 'accidentally' just so he can bend down and be able to look at her legs. Of course, she's the one who's taking every chance she can get just to be able to touch him during a con.

They tease each other.

They touch each other

Until finally Nate breaks and somehow, that next morning, when he wakes up on the floor and her bra is hanging from the staircase, they decide that it's friends with extras. But something else is decided - something inside Sophie - a feeling she can't get rid of.

As hours turn to days and days into weeks, Sophie finds she doesn't need the heels or the clothes or the make-up to make Nate look. He wants her all the same. He loves her for what she is, and who she is, and she doesn't think she's ever going to tire of it.

The friends with extras relationship starts to fade, and something...something real starts to form. And for the first time she truly felt like they were in _love_.

OoO

Nate shut the door with his elbow, holding the box of pizza in both hands. He walked over to the couch and set the box on the coffee table. Netflix was up on the large TV screen and he skipped down to the murder mystery section before sitting down on the couch. "Sophie! Foods here!" He yelled. The soft thud of footsteps could be heard as she came down the stairs. She walked over to the couch. Nate turned his head to look at he and smirked. "You're wearing my shirt again."

She was. She wore his black t-shirt and he could barely see the red lace of her panties underneath. That woman didn't even need to try and she was still beautiful. She put two pieces of pizza on her plate and then cuddled up next to Nate. He put his arm around her and held her close.

"What are we watching tonight?"

"I don't know. Whatever looks good." He was flipping through the movies when suddenly he paused, looked at Soph, and kissed the top of her head. "You look pretty tonight."

She choked on her food. "I do?"

"You do." He paused. "You know I don't understand why you think that you need make-up and pretty clothes and high heels to make you look beautiful. Any man that can't see that you have natural beauty is clearly an idiot."

Sophie was blushing. He was the only one who could ever make her blush. "Thank you..." Nate merely kissed the top of her head again and went back to searching for movies. Her inner voice was yelling at her, trying to give her some courage to say what she really wanted to say. The words were bubbling behind her lips and finally they burst out. "It's an emotional crutch!"

"Pardon?"

"The heels. They're an emotional crutch." God, it felt good to finally say it. "I always wore them because I wanted to get your attention...to make you notice me. Now I don't need them because you notice me...and-and you want me all the same."

He's not quite sure what to respond at first. He shuts his eyes and reflects on the past 4 years, and then he can almost see, can almost feel, the answer tumble into his head. "I love you for you Sophie...all your layers and your secrets. And maybe it's hard for me to always except your flaws, but-but I have them too. I don't know how you ever fell in love with someone like me, Sophie, but I'm blessed to have you in my life." Then he paused and actually looked at her. She could feel his gaze and shifted up so she could look at him. "And I think that high heels or not, you will always be my funny, beautiful, intelligent, and mysterious woman."

She smiled openly, the corners of her eyes wrinkling as her heart seemed to swell in her chest. Gently, and ever so lovingly, she kissed him.

_Finally..._

Alright ! So thanks to my partner in crime (aka Susie, the good twin) for these prompts. Next ones will be from fellow N/S writer Leveragus :) And don't forget you can send in prompts whenever you feel like it.


End file.
